September 1998 RB 98-07

Economics of DripIrrigation for Apple

Orchards in

Charles H. CuykendallGerald B. White

Department of Agricultural, Resource, and Managerial EconomicsCollege of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853-7801

It is the policy of Cornell University actively to support equality of educational

and employment opportunity. No person shall be denied admission to any

educational program or activity or be denied employment on the basis of any

legally prohibited discrimination involving, but not limited to, such factors as

race, color, creed, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, age or handicap.

The University is committed to the maintenance of affirmative action

programs which will assure the continuation of such equality of opportunity.

i

ABSTRACT

In an average growing season in the Northeast, rainfall is somewhat less than is required for

optimal performance of fruit crops. The shortage of moisture during critical periods of crop

growth and fruit development affects both yields and sizing of produce, thus affecting receipts

through both volume of production and average price. Seasons in which moisture is a severe

limiting factor affecting profitability occur perhaps two or three years in ten for individual

growers in the Northeast.

Today’s apple growers need investment and cost guidelines to determine the economics of

getting trees into production as soon as possible and to avoid periods of drought during the

productive life of orchards. Research was undertaken to determine drip irrigation investment

and costs in an apple orchard. This project was designed to assist growers in determining the

investment, fixed and variable costs and expected returns from drip irrigation.

Irrigation suppliers provided typical equipment needs and investment costs for various drip

irrigation designs. Economic worksheets were developed to assist growers in estimating fixed

and variable costs of drip irrigation. The economics of yield data were applied to replicated

multi-year irrigation studies to assist growers in determining yield response from drip irrigation.

Net present value (NPV) methodology was used to determine the discounted break-even

investment results from published responses to drip irrigation. Growers with typical drip

irrigation systems and various water sources can expect investments in drip irrigation of $464 to

$880 per acre with 10 acre blocks of trees. Based upon seven years of data from the New York

State Agricultural Experiment Station average yield increases due to irrigation were 117 bushels

per acre, resulting in a break-even investment of around $2,000 per acre.

Growers who were interviewed were unable to quantify the benefits and costs of drip irrigation

but were convinced of positive yield and quality responses from drip irrigation. This analysis

has proved the economic rational for the investment in microirrigation.

ii

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors are Charles H. Cuykendall, Extension Specialist and Gerald B. White, Professor,

Department of Agricultural, Resource, and Managerial Economics, Cornell University. The

authors express their appreciation to Terence L. Robinson, Warren C. Stiles, Larry Geohring,

Fran Dellamano and Alison M. DeMarree for their data and input; and to Warren C. Stiles,

Terence L. Robinson, and Wayne A. Knoblauch for helpful reviews of the manuscript.

Our appreciation is expressed to the growers who were interviewed for this study.

iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction...................................................................................................................................1

Methodology.................................................................................................................................2

Investment in Drip Irrigation ........................................................................................................3

Operating Costs.............................................................................................................................5

Fertigation.....................................................................................................................................7

Fixed Costs ...................................................................................................................................7

Annual Costs.................................................................................................................................8

Yield Response .............................................................................................................................8

Economics of Drip Irrigation – New Planting ..............................................................................9

Economics of Drip Irrigation – Existing Planting ......................................................................11

Summary and Implications .........................................................................................................12

Literature Cited ...........................................................................................................................14

iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR TABLES

Table 1: Investment in Drip Irrigation Equipment for Apple Orchards ...................................4

Table 2: Operating Costs (per acre) for Drip Irrigation ............................................................6

Table 3: Fixed Cost (per acre) for Irrigation System................................................................8

Table 4: Effect of Irrigation on Average Yield of ‘Redchief Delicious’, ‘Mutsu’ and ‘Empire’Apple Trees Over the First Eight Years (with Preplant and Annual NKB at419 Trees per Acre) ....................................................................................................9

Table 5A: Net Present Value of Installation of Drip Irrigation (Tape) with Apple OrchardEstablishment (1 Acre) .............................................................................................10

Table 5B: Net Present Value of Installation of Drip Irrigation (Tube) with Apple OrchardEstablishment (1 Acre) .............................................................................................11

Table 6: Average Yield Increase Per Acre Required at Various Prices for 5 Year IrrigationInvestment Recovery From Existing Apple Orchards ..............................................12

Economics of Drip Irrigation for Apple Orchards in New York State

Introduction

Many New York fruit growers face the economic decisions required to expand acreage and/or

replace existing trees. The investments required in high density apple orchards often exceed

$7,000 per acre with little to no economic return for the first two to three years. The additional

investment of $464 to $880 per acre for drip irrigation must be considered since it is crucial that

the investment in the planting system yields the fastest possible returns. The benefits of irrigation

include: better tree survival, earlier fruit production, greater yields, more efficient distribution of

nutrients, less plant stress, reduced yield variability and improved fruit quality.

The objective of this study was to gather information from growers, experiment stations,

published reports, and plant scientists to establish a methodology for educators and growers to

evaluate the economics of irrigation. This was done by presenting a format for individual

growers to analyze their own specific set of resource mix of land, labor, capital and water. This

method uses the costs and returns as reported on selected orchards and at various experiment

stations and analysis of the economic response to drip irrigation.

Drip irrigation was chosen for this study because of the often limited on-farm water supply and

the need to minimize the wetting of the leaf surfaces in order to minimize the spread of plant

diseases. Drip irrigation is the application of water through small emitters directly onto or below

the soil surface, usually at or near the plant to be irrigated. An analysis of trickle irrigation (a

general irrigation term for slow, low volume, frequent water applications to the soil) versus

overhead traveler irrigation was reported by J.W. Worthington (9). In their study in Eastern

United States they reported the trickle system used 54 percent less water, 74 percent less energy

and 50 percent less investment while the labor cost remained the same. If an orchard is operated

in a location with limited water supply there are few alternatives except drip irrigation. Irrigation

is not new to New York as a special US Census report in 1955 reported over 58,000 acres under

irrigation of some kind and on relatively high value crops (5). The latest US Census of

Agriculture information available is 1992, and it indicates that the number of farms in New York

2

State using irrigation has increased while the total acres irrigated have decreased to 46,600 acres.

When the 1997 Census data is available it likely will show an increase in both farms and acreage

under irrigation due to the technology of microirrigation. Microirrigation includes any low

volume application of water to the soil whether by drip, trickle, or micro-sprinkler/sprayers.

Methodology

To determine microirrigation needs and available data, a meeting, followed by several

consultation sessions, was held with faculty members of Cornell University. Those contributing

to this project represented research and extension staff from the following departments: Fruit and

Vegetable Science; Floriculture and Ornamental Horticulture; Agricultural and Biological

Engineering; Agricultural, Resource, and Managerial Economics; Horticultural Sciences; and

Cornell Cooperative Extension. From these meetings priorities were set, a survey form was

developed, and a list of microirrigation users with potential cost and yield data was compiled.

A three-page farm survey on microirrigation was completed on four Central New York fruit

farms. The results of this survey clearly indicated that the selected operators could not easily and

accurately quantify their microirrigation investments, operating costs or yield response. Since

this project was to assist other potential growers in their investment and cost and benefit decisions

the written survey results were of limited value. To obtain additional data a total of six on-farm

visits were made by the authors where specific data were gathered on microirrigation investments

and operating costs. Since the farms did not have a non-irrigated control plot where water was

not applied under similar soils, varieties, and management practices, the authors selected and used

yield data from replicated, multi-year microirrigation projects as published at a New York State

Agricultural Experiment Station.

To supplement the various investment data received from on-farm interviews, the authors

contacted various local microirrigation suppliers and asked them to design a typical system for

establishment of a new ten acre orchard. In addition, the data from the Irrigation Workshop

sponsored by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chemung, Cortland, Tioga, and Tompkins

counties was drawn upon to provide system costs and investments using various water sources

3

and irrigation methods. Many research projects today are designed not only to reduce costs, but

also to protect the environment as well. Drip irrigation seems to contribute to both of these

objectives. In addition to increasing productivity, drip irrigation, as reported by D.W. Wolfe (8),

may produce a more consistent quality product, conserve energy and water, and reduce fertilizer

and pesticide leaching to ground water. Geohring et al (2) reported that drip irrigation improved

efficiency of nitrogen use on peppers thus reducing both cost and runoff.

The typical investments for various systems were determined, then the operating and fixed costs

were assigned. The yield response to microirrigation as reported from controlled experiments

was converted to dollars per acre; then the net present value was determined using net present

value analysis methods (1).

In the following sections, estimated costs, investments, and response to irrigation are presented.

The tables include columns for individual growers to analyze their system or projections for their

cost analysis of microirrigation.

Investment in Drip Irrigation

The variables that determine the irrigation system, power source and ultimately the amount of

capital investment include:

a. water source: distance from desired use, elevation differential, availability

b. acres to be irrigated and frequency of application

c. type of crop and soil

d. existing equipment on the farm

Some reasonable estimates can be determined from systems on neighboring farms with similar

conditions and from companies who sell and design irrigation supplies.

Local irrigation suppliers provided some typical investment amounts for drip irrigation of apple

orchards (Table 1). The examples shown are for establishing a new 10 acre block with 15 mil

tape or tube distribution and a readily available electrical power source. The estimated life for the

tape system was assumed to be seven years. The few growers we interviewed did not know how

4

long the tape would last, but after five years were experiencing no abnormal repair cost nor

obsolescence. Most of the apple growers interviewed indicated that they were using the pressure

compensating tube system because of less mechanical damage and ability to handle hillier

terrains. We estimated the life of pressure compensating tube at 15 years.

Table 1.Investment in Drip Irrigation Equipment for Apple Orchards1

Tape Tube Your Farm

3HP Submersible electric pump $1,300 $1,300 $ Electrical line up to 500' for service 300 300 Filter and check valve 100 100 1200 feet 2" poly pipe (60¢/ft.) 720 720 1000 feet 1½" poly pipe (37¢/ft.) 370 370 Fittings, valves, and clamps 250 250 30,000 feet 15 mil tape or press. comp. tube 900 4,200 Fittings and pressure regulator 100 100 Trencher 200 200 Labor (4 man days) 400 400 Other:*

TOTAL $4,640 $7,940 $ Per Acre $464 $794 $

*Your “other” should include if applicable:1. In place of electric investments, you may have 5HP gas pump, fittings and suction

approximating $800.2. Filter and check valves for pond or stream would cost $900 additional.3. Additional footage of materials for higher density.

1Existing 30 gpm well will supply 3 zones, on nearly level 10 acre field with 14' row width.

The investment costs per acre are only typical guidelines. The investment costs of the water

source, power source, filters, valves and many other fittings are fixed costs and do not vary with

acreage. One will find a range in the per acre investments, but most growers surveyed were

irrigating about ten acres with each system, or in a ten acre zone. Some growers were able to

mount their pump, sand filter, suction and discharge hose on a two-wheel flat trailer and move

this $2,000 - $3,000 investment to other fields that had an available water source. This lowered

5

their fixed costs significantly as they were able to irrigate more acres with the same portable

microirrigation power and filter source.

Annual operating costs will vary dependent upon the frequency of irrigation, amount of water

applied per irrigation, number of zones irrigated, and the degree of mechanization. In general, the

variable costs are proportionate to the amount of water pumped. The most important variable cost

is labor, which is used for monitoring, repair, maintenance and any required hose or pipe moving.

The fixed costs will occur regardless of amount of water used and will generally be the

depreciation and interest costs based upon the amount of investment.

Depreciation often amounts to two-thirds to three-quarters of the fixed costs. It can be argued

that the more a line is used the faster it wears out, but realistically a system is depreciated over a

straight line basis over the estimated life. In reality, most of the growers do not know how long

the system will last as they have not replaced them but rather have expanded coverage to other

acres.

Operating Costs

These costs vary with the design of the system, intensity of use, degree of mechanization, water

source, mechanical damage and age of the installation. To get an economic evaluation of the

irrigation system, the operating costs, as well as the additional revenues generated, must be

estimated accurately.

Typical operating costs are listed in Table 2. The power source includes electric, gas or diesel

fuel. Repair costs have been reported as minor in the earlier years. Labor costs are variable and

depend upon the system. Growers reported labor cost of detecting leaks, but once found, the cost

of repair is minor for plastic inserts or plugs compared to the labor expended in routine checking

of the system.

6

Table 2.Operating Costs (per acre) for Drip Irrigation

Typical Your Farm

Power Source $15.00 $ __________

Repairs 40.00 ___________

Labor: Spring, Summer, Fall 68.00 ___________

Additional Fertilizer, Pesticide and Application Cost --.-- ___________

Additional Product Harvesting, Hauling and Marketing1 --.-- ___________

City Water Metered ___________

Total $123.00 $ __________

1Wide variations dependent upon year and variety, use harvest and hauling costs of $1.00 perbushel.

Hired labor and management labor can fall into either or both operating and fixed cost allocations.

Much of the labor hired to operate and manage this important technology is fixed. When asked to

estimate total labor requirements for the system many growers allocated a spring start up time, a

weekly operating and scouting time, plus a fall shut down. Labor and management costs were

allocated at a rate of $8.50 per hour in the typical cost column. This rate was based upon average

New York hired labor rates reported by New York Agricultural Statistics 1996, adjusted for

inflation and fringe benefits.

When any management operational change in methodology or a new technology like

microirrigation is adopted, it should result in increased salable product or quality. When the

microirrigation results in increased yield, the costs to harvest, haul and market an additional

product must be included in your total costs analysis.

Those irrigation systems with a direct water charge, like a city meter, should include this as an

operating cost. Growers with city water experienced no filter costs, but more in labor and piping

charges to get the water to the desired location. For this study, total operating costs (Table 2)

7

were estimated at $123 per acre. You are encouraged to estimate your costs based upon your

system configuration.

Fertigation

According to Stiles et al (6), with fertigation, nutrients dissolved in water can be more quickly

delivered to the root zone of apple trees. This is an additional benefit of microirrigation that

effects yield, quality and growth. The fertigation cost variable has many different options. Some

growers applied only nitrogen through irrigation, some only potassium, some both, and the rest

none. Those that applied fertilizer through irrigation felt that they must purchase easily soluble

nutrients and closely monitor the system for any leaks or “blowouts”. Those who used fertigation

reported reduced costs of application but higher initial investment costs of electrical technology

and chemical storage. In experiments at Geneva, New York, Robinson and Stiles (4) reported

early apple tree performance can be significantly improved with fertigation.

Fixed Costs

Apple growers who already have an investment in irrigation equipment can often adapt existing

water sources and power sources into use for microirrigation. Those who design and purchase a

new system must allocate costs based on the life of the system as shown in Table 3. An interest

or opportunity cost of capital, based upon half the investment costs, has been allocated at 8

percent in Table 3. There is little difference in the fixed cost allocation between the projections

for the tape versus pressure compensating tube systems.

8

Table 3.Fixed Cost (per acre) for Irrigation System

Annualized Fixed Costs 15 mil tape1Pressure Compensating

Tubing2 Your Farm

Depreciation $66.00 $53.00 $ ___________

Interest3 19.00 32.00 ____________

Insurance --.-- --.-- ____________

Total $75.00 $85.00 ____________

1Based on 7 year life and $464 per acre investment on 10 acres.2Based on 15 year life and $794 per acre investment on 10 acres.3Based on 8 percent cost of borrowed funds.

Annual Costs

Annual costs are the sum of operating costs (Table 2) and fixed costs (Table 3). Investment

decisions are made based upon estimation of both fixed and variable costs plus the projected net

additional receipts as shown in Table 5. Many factors, such as fruit quality improvement,

timeliness to market, and risk evasion are hard to quantify, but should enter in to the decision to

acquire new technologies like drip irrigation. Any technology that on paper indicates a break-

even may be well worth the risk reduction afforded by the ability to make timely applications of

water to reduce drought in a very dry period.

Yield Response

Robinson and Stiles (3) have reported that apple orchard management using Cornell

recommendations and trickle (tube) irrigation has resulted in excellent early tree development and

greater yields per acre. Table 4 shows the effect of trickle irrigation on yield over the first seven

production years of an apple orchard. In every year, irrigation resulted in increased yield and the

9

amount of increase was dependent upon stage of development and natural rainfall for the season.

Table 4.

Effect of Irrigation on Average Yield of ‘Redchief Delicious’, ‘Mutsu’ and‘Empire’ Apple Trees Over the First Eight Years (with Preplant and Annual

NKB1 at 419 Trees per Acre)2

Bu/AcreYears 87 88 89 90* 91* 92* 93 94* Accum/Yr.*

No Irrigation 0 18 233 429 381 436 470 742 385With Irrigation 0 24 302 676 586 698 503 937 531

*Significantly different within years at the 5 percent level.

(1) Nitrogen, Potassium, Boron.

(2) Robinson, Terence and Warren Stiles, 1995. Maximizing the Performance of Young AppleTrees. NY Fruit Quarterly 3(2): 10-16.

Economics of Drip Irrigation - New Planting

Table 4 indicates the annual and accumulated yield increase due to trickle irrigation. A partial

budget of additional receipts and estimated additional costs was used in Table 5A and 5B to

construct net revenues and net present value at a 10 percent discount factor. A seven year

planning horizon was used for the analysis because that is the projected life of the 15 mil tape

system. Credit was given for the remaining estimated salvage value of the pump on the tape

system in Table 5A and for the pump and tube system in Table 5B.

For the tape system the present value method at a 10 percent discount factor, shows a value of

$1,558 after an initial drip investment of $464 per acre. If a loan was obtained to invest in the

system, repayment of the investment would require returns in the fourth and fifth year to retire the

debt after no repayment for the first three years. Full farm analysis would be used to see if the

current cash flow could service the additional debt until year four. The analysis indicates that

10

in present value terms, a grower could spend up to $2,022 per acre for drip irrigation system, and

break even!

Table 5A.Net Present Value of Installation of Drip Irrigation (Tape)

with Apple Orchard Establishment (1 Acre)

YearInc. YieldBu./Acre

$ AdditionalReceipts1

$ AdditionalCosts2

$ NetRevenue

10 PercentDiscount NPV $

Cum.NPV $

0 (Initial Investment) 1.000 -464 -4641 X X 123 -123 .9091 -112 -5762 6 36 129 -93 .8264 -77 -6533 69 414 192 222 .7513 167 -4864 247 1,482 370 1,112 .6830 759 2735 205 1,230 328 902 .6209 560 8336 262 1,572 385 1,187 .5645 670 1,5037 33 198 156 42 .5132 22 1,5257 (salvage value for pump $65) .5132 33 1,558

Totals 822 4,932 1,683 3,249 1,5581Calculated on $6.00 net per bushel, orchard run price.2Includes operating costs of $123.00/ac. and harvest costs at $1.00 per bushel (7).

For the pressure compensating tube system the present value method shows a value of $1,412

after an initial drip investment of $794 per acre. The analysis indicates that in present value

terms, a grower could spend up to $2,206 per acre for the pressure compensating tube system and

break even.

The net present value, based upon the yield response reported, is $1,412 to $1,558 at a 10 percent

discount factor. Since the net present value is positive, it will return more than the 10 percent

used in the analysis. Based upon the strong positive value, it would pay to make the investment

even if the projected returns are significantly less or additional costs are higher over the projected

life.

11

Table 5B.Net Present Value of Installation of Drip Irrigation (Tube)

with Apple Orchard Establishment (1 Acre)

YearInc. YieldBu./Acre

$ AdditionalReceipts1

$ AdditionalCosts2

$ NetRevenue

10 PercentDiscount NPV $

Cum.NPV $

0 (Initial Investment) 1.000 -794 -7941 X X 123 -123 .9091 -112 -9062 6 36 129 -93 .8264 -77 -9833 69 414 192 222 .7513 167 -8164 247 1,482 370 1,112 .6830 759 -575 205 1,230 328 902 .6209 560 5036 262 1,572 385 1,187 .5645 670 1,1737 33 198 156 42 .5132 22 1,1957 (salvage value for pump and tubing $423) .5132 217 1,412

Totals 822 4,932 1,683 3,249 1,4121Calculated on $6.00 net per bushel, orchard run price.2Includes operating costs of $123.00/ac. and harvest costs at $1.00 per bushel (7).

In any net present value analysis it is important to select a discount rate appropriate for the farm

investment. In this study the internal rate of return would be between 35 and 45 percent, far

above the cost of capital for most farms; thus one would conclude that either investment is

economical.

In addition to the increased yield benefits, trickle irrigation often increases the returns due to a

better pack out. In a report by Robinson and Stiles (3) average fruit size over six years was

increased by 3 – 6 percent, and with fertigation fruit size increased 6 – 18 percent. Robinson and

Stiles (4)(6) also reported that trickle irrigation increased shoot growth and trunk cross-sectional

area.

Economics of Drip Irrigation - Existing Planting

Due to limited land resources and the high cost of orchard establishment some growers are

installing trickle irrigation on established orchards. The data in Table 6 indicates a yield

sensitivity that net average yield increases of 60 to 86 bushels per acre (with no improvement in

quality) would be needed to break-even on an investment of $1,000 per acre in an established

orchard. The additional investment cost is assumed for labor and tubing around mature trees.

12

The first seven production years, as reported in Table 4, had an average increase of 146 bu. per

acre per year due to irrigation. (This study had the benefit of orchard establishment with irrigation

and the response may be similar, but the effect of establishment with irrigation may over state

results when used to determine effect on mature trees.) While additional yields of 60 to 86

bushels per acre seem possible with the adoption of irrigation on an established planting, it is not

a certainty that such increases will occur.

Table 6.Average Yield Increase Per Acre Required at Various Prices for 5 Year Irrigation

Investment1Recovery From Existing Apple Orchards

Price/Bushel

5 Production YearsYield Increase/ Yr.

GrossAdditionalReceipts

NominalValue ofNet Ret.2

10 PercentDiscount Factor3

PresentValue

$5.50 86.0 bu. $473 $264 3.791 $1,000$6.50 70.4 bu. $458 $264 3.791 $1,000$7.50 59.5 bu. $446 $264 3.791 $1,000

1Assumes higher initial investment to add tubes to an existing orchard.2 Gross receipts minus harvesting costs of additional fruit (at $1.00 per bushel) and additional

operating costs at $123.00 per acre.3 Present value factor of $1.00 received annually at the end of each year for five years.

Summary and Implications

Interviews of apple growers, research associates, suppliers and published research were obtained

to provide data on the adaptation and results of microirrigation of apple orchards. All growers

reported positive results with microirrigation, but were unable to quantify their costs and benefits.

They reported that the consequences of too little water availability in drought years easily offset

the investment and operating costs of a microirrigation system.

The response curve to microirrigation is very favorable under typical New York State moisture

conditions and one can justify the investment and costs if water is available. Wide variations

exist in costs due to the source of water, location of water and power, and the topography to be

irrigated.

13

Our analysis showed that both pressure compensating tubing (15 year projected life) or 15 mil

tape (7 year projected life) were profitable investments. The tape reached a discounted payback

in the fourth year and the tubing in the fifth year of the investment. Furthermore, we found that

the breakeven yield increase necessary for irrigation (using pressure compensating tubing) was 60

bushels to 86 bushels per acre for orchard run prices of $7.50 down to $5.50 per bushel. These

yield increases of approximately 10 percent should be attainable in most farm situations,

especially where soils are limiting because they are shallow, sandy, or subject to poor nutrition.

While most growers have installed the pressure compensating tubing, the tape system has a place

in farm situations where the area to be planted is level and where capital is limited. Much of the

benefit from drip irrigation is realized in the first five years of a new planting, and the tape system

permits the attainment of these early benefits for much less investment.

Growers will continually face increased investment costs in additional and reestablished orchards.

To mitigate the economic risk of drought and to get more rapid production they will be likely to

adopt microirrigation. Growers who have existing irrigation systems will continue to add more

zones of irrigation dependent upon their available water supply.

This provides a methodology to make an informed estimate about combining your specific set of

resources in your farm. Many times the irrigation investment decision is driven by risk reduction,

alternative investments, debt capacity, and most importantly, water availability. The reduction in

water requirements with microirrigation systems compared to overhead irrigation, which wets the

total area, has made microirrigation an economic and an environmentally friendly alternative. All

of the progressive farmers surveyed were convinced that microirrigation pays on their farms, but

they had little data to prove their assumption. This analysis has provided the economic rational

for the investment in microirrigation.

This work was supported through Hatch Project No. 536, USDA.

14

Literature Cited

(1) Casler, G.L., B.L. Anderson, and R.D. Aplin, 1993. Capital Investment Analysis Using

Discounted Cash Flows (5th Edition). Department of Agricultural, Resource, and Managerial

Economics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York. 147pp.

(2) Geohring, L.D., D.W. Wolfe and K. Hanninen, 1991. Drip Irrigation/Fertigation of Peppers

for Improved Efficiency of Nitrogen Fertilizer and Water Use. Staff Report 91-1.

Department of Agricultural Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York. 22 pages.

(3) Robinson, Terence and Warren Stiles, 1995. Maximizing the Performance of Young Apple

Trees. NY Fruit Quarterly 3(2): 10-16.

(4) Robinson, T.L. and W.C. Stiles, 1993. Fertiligation of Young Apple Trees to Improve

Growth and Cropping. Compact Fruit Tree Vol. 26. p. 61-65.

(5) Stanton, B.F., 1956. Operating Costs for Irrigation Equipment. A.E. 1061. Department of

Agricultural Economics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York. 26pp.

(6) Stiles, W.C., T.L. Robinson, and W.S. Reid, 1995. Fertilization of Apple Orchards Through

Drip Irrigation Systems (Fertigation). NY Fruit Quarterly 3(3):7-10.

(7) White, G.B., A.M. DeMarree and L.D. Putnam, 1997. Fruit Farm Business Summary, Lake

Ontario Region, New York, E.B. 97-13. Department of Agricultural, Resource, and

Managerial Economics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York. 27pp.

(8) Wolfe, D.V. Irrigation Scheduling: When and How Much Water to Apply. F & VS Report

No. 20. Department of Fruit and Vegetable Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York.

7pp.

(9) Worthington, J.W., Coordinator, 1994. Micro Irrigation for Fruit Crops. Southern

Cooperative Series Bulletin 378. Texas AES, Texas A&M University, College Station,

Texas. 35pp.